The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-16
THE TALLY-sHEET CRIMINALS.


THE TALLY SHEET CRIMINALS.
The Sentinel devotes column to what it
terms ''the acquittal" of the tally sheet forg-
ers. It says 'the Republican conspiracy has
developed new phase" The Republican
conspiracy referred to is a citizens movement
to discover the perpetrators of great crime.
It's conspiracy in the same sense that any
movement for the enforcement of law and the
punishment of crime is conspiracy. 1t was
such a conspiracy that broke up the Tweed
ring in New York years ago, and that has re-
Gently landed some of its aldermen in States
prison. 1t was such a conspiracy that sent
Joe Mackin, of Chicago, to the penitentiary,
and that broke up the ring that
stuffed ballot boxes and altered tally-sheets in
Cincinnati It is such conspiracy that is
operating to purify politics in ST. Louis.
The indianapolis conspiracy was the result of
public meeting which decided that meas
ures should be taken to bring to justice the
perpetrators of fraud which had shocked the
moral sense of the community. The conspir-
ators charged with the duty of prosecuting
the investigation and vindicating the law con-
sisted of Committee of One Hundred repre-
sentative citizens of both political parties, and
to their honor be it said that their acts have
been entirely devoid of partisanism and every
movement of the committee inspired by the
highest motives of good citizenship. Repub-
licans and Democrats of the highest personal
character have met together and made COM
mon cause. Such men engaged in such
work can stand the charge of being conspira-
tors Every honest man in the community
is in the same conspiracy, and any man who
is not is the friend of the tally sheet forgers
and the defender Of crime.
The ''new phase Of the conspiracy" re-
ferred to by the Sentinel, is the statement of
three members Of the grand jury relative to
the failure to find indictments. They state
that evidence of the most positive and direct
character, as we'll as much of the strongest
circumstantal character, has come before us
as to the persons who committed the said
felonious acts" The evidence was such as to
leave no doubt whatever in the minds of the
guilty parties. Yet three other members of
the jury refused to return an Indictment
! The three men who wished to return indict-
ments are PARKER S. CARSON, D. w
HARCOURT and FRANCIS W. HAMII4-
| TON. The three who refused are HENRY
B. MATTHEW'S, DANIEL B. HOSDROOK
and JAMES RENIHAN. The organ of the
forgers says: what right have Messrs. Car
son, Harcourt and Hamilton to set themselves
brook and Matthew'S" We answer, no right,
except that they desired to do what the law, the
evidence, the instructions of the court and OF
the prosecutor, and their oaths as grand jurors
required them to do while the other three re.
fused to. That is all. 1t is not necessary
for three men who wished to do their duty
under such circumstances to set themselves
up as honester men than other three who re
fused to punish crime. The public will draw
on the jury did right in asking to be excused
from further service in such association. NJ
honest man could do otherwise.
The Sentinel says with the utmost empha
sis, thatSimeon Coy, Henry N. Spann, W. F
A. Bernhamer and John II. Counselman hav,
been acquitted Of the charges against them.
We say they have not Nobody has been &C
Quilted. But what right has the Sentinel t.
single out these persons! If these persons ar
not guilty, let the guilty parties be indicted
Somebody is guilty. Even the Sentinel dar
not deny that a crime was committed. l
these men did not do it nor have any guilt
knowledge of it they should be anxious t
have the real perpetrators of the fraud indict
ed Instead of that, they have moved heave
and earth to defeat the investigation at ever
stage The failure of justice thus far is n
vindicaton of them nor of anybody else
The body Of the crime is still there, and tn
question still occurs, who did itl If the per
sons named by e Sentinel did not, ther
somebody else did. If Matthews. Hosbroo
and Renihau did not shield these persons
whom did they shield9 The public is not il
terested in the punishment of any particula
person, and still less of any innocent person
} but it is Supremacy interested in discoverin
and furnishing the real authors of the crime